Last month I provided a lot of basic WiFi information and alluded to some exciting new products now available. These new products implement what is known as a wireless mesh network. Up until now, there were two basic approaches to implementing wireless in the home or small office environment: 1) install a single router or 2) install a single router with one or more extenders. Often, neither of these approaches proved satisfying, particularly in a large area, and especially if you moved around with your wireless device. Extenders can only stretch your signal a single hop (you can’t connect multiple in a row) and typically create an entirely separate network (SSID), forcing you to continually switch from one network to another as you move around your house.
With the proliferation of 802.11ac based products, wireless speeds became much faster, but typically forced one to pick between the 2.4 GHz frequency or the 5 GHz frequency, again forcing you to continuously switch from one network to another.
Wireless mesh networks promise to resolve these issues, while dramatically expanding the range and speed of your wireless network. Two, three, or more devices work together as peers forming one single network (or two networks if you want a guest network), automatically picking the best frequency and transparently moving you between the devices without disrupting your connection. They also provide a simple user interface so that you can quickly set up, deploy, and manage your wireless mesh solution.
Four recent products that are getting quite a bit of press are Eero (https://eero.com ),
Google WiFi (https://madeby.google.com/wifi/ ), Linksys Velop (http://www.linksys.com/us/velop/) and Netgear Orbi (https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/orbi )
Apple for several years has had similar products with their Airport Extreme and Airport Express products, but Apple has disbanded the engineering team behind these products and although still selling them, it is clear that Apple has decided not to invest in the wireless networking market.
If you are ready to make the leap, let me know; I would love to help you out!
With the proliferation of 802.11ac based products, wireless speeds became much faster, but typically forced one to pick between the 2.4 GHz frequency or the 5 GHz frequency, again forcing you to continuously switch from one network to another.
Wireless mesh networks promise to resolve these issues, while dramatically expanding the range and speed of your wireless network. Two, three, or more devices work together as peers forming one single network (or two networks if you want a guest network), automatically picking the best frequency and transparently moving you between the devices without disrupting your connection. They also provide a simple user interface so that you can quickly set up, deploy, and manage your wireless mesh solution.
Four recent products that are getting quite a bit of press are Eero (https://eero.com ),
Google WiFi (https://madeby.google.com/wifi/ ), Linksys Velop (http://www.linksys.com/us/velop/) and Netgear Orbi (https://www.netgear.com/home/products/networking/orbi )
Apple for several years has had similar products with their Airport Extreme and Airport Express products, but Apple has disbanded the engineering team behind these products and although still selling them, it is clear that Apple has decided not to invest in the wireless networking market.
If you are ready to make the leap, let me know; I would love to help you out!
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